Echoes from the Darkness
by Carona Sectre
Summary: At age 13, Theron Shan was an angry teen full of hatred and rage at his mother's abandonment and his failure to use the force despite his family history. When Theron meets a force sensative child named Corana with a special gift for healing his life changed forever. Sixteen years later, their paths crossed once more starting a passionate, but tragic, love story.
1. Chapter 1

_**Echoes from the Darkness**_

Journal Entry #1

Where to begin…?

Hell, I don't even know where to start…it's been awhile since I have poured out my thoughts onto paper. In my world, this method is all but obsolete.

But, Master Zho, taught me when I am lost, to find my way again I must meditate and connect with my center then write down my thoughts using a pen and paper. This was not because he was an old-fashioned guy; ok, maybe he was, but he truly believed the pen is a conduit that connects the conscience to the pages, allowing only the truth to be recorded.

"The pages are the one place we can be completely open." He told me once. "The pen and paper have no judgment. It simply receives the truth, and allows us to turn the page."

Master Zho has access to ancient technology that creates holocrons, and he prefers to use paper and pen. I really can't say I ever understood his ways; however, some habits of his snuck into me and this method is one of them. Maybe nobody will ever see these words but me. But, if this journal is ever found and you are reading this, I guess I should start with who I am…

My name is Theron Shan. I was born some 30 standard years ago to the Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan, who became pregnant by my father, Republic Supreme Commander Jace Malcom. And this is where my relations to them both begin and end. The Grand Master handed me over to Jedi Master Ngani Zho who raised me from the moment I was born. And since my mother was such a _great_ Jedi, it was thought that I would also possess the gift of being attuned to the Force; well, after almost 20 years of the order hoping I would manifest, it never happened. That's ok because I joined the Republic Strategic Information Service, or SIS as we prefer to call it because it's shorter.

The Republic is a safer place because of the SIS. Like the Jedi, we protect the Republic from our enemies. However, unlike the Jedi, we are not always heroes. I would say we carry blasters, but I have seen very few Jedi actually using blasters rather than a lightsaber. The galaxy never ceases to amaze me.

In brief, I work for the "good guys"; but I am not always one of them.

I am a self-proclaimed workaholic. To be perfectly honest, I have never known anything different. I've always been a loner and, unless it is necessary for the job, I have never exactly been the social type. I never learned how to open up, relate to anyone, or played well with others. Skills that would have been useful if I became a Jedi, but a limitation for the rest of us

Yet, my boss Marcus feels I need to find a good woman and settle down. I suppose his logic is that I would work less and he would have fewer migraines.

"Theron!" He says to me. "Why work so hard all the time? You are always traveling and never stay in one place. Why don't you find a nice girl and plant some roots?"

Well, Marcus is hardly a paragon on relationship advice; he is twice divorced and on the lookout for wife number 3. My money is on my father's receptionist who turns into goo every time he walks into the office. I may not be good with planting roots, but I am good at suspecting behaviors after observing people.

Anyway, after I pick myself up from the ground laughing at his advice, my answer is always the same; there is no girl out there for me.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to find the right woman as much as the next guy. My preference would be a nice girl, but if they even knew the half of what I do in the name of the Republic, if they were in their right mind, they would hitch a ride on the first shuttle off the planet to the opposite side of the galaxy to get away from me.

The bad girls…well, I've been known to have kissed a few…ok, maybe more than kissed. They like to play with my _truth gathering tools_ (Read: torture devices) But, not a single one has captured my soul and they are off my mind the moment they are transported to their forever home in Belsavis – yeah, they were that bad.

And it's not that I have a set standard, but if there was a perfect Mrs. Theron Shan, there really are only of 2 types of women that would qualify for the job -

The first would be the kind of woman who knew nothing about my job and asked me no questions. This fits my stereotypical male ego to rescue a princess by keeping her safe in an ivory tower. I guess I like my women with a little innocence. But, even if I did find a woman like that who was crazy enough to become my wife, I would be bored as hell. And do women like really exist outside of those cheesy holo novels my dad's receptionist's reads?

The second scenario is more a bit more interesting; a woman in a similar profession, who understands my job and and the decisions I make that includes not sharing details.

And, she would have to be uncomplicated.

I guess to sum it up, Mrs. Theron Shan would need to have strength, a sense of adventure, and uncomplicated, but still look at me like I just rode in on a decorated Tauntaun to rescue her.

Yeah, I was going to be a bachelor for the rest of my life. That woman could not possibly exist.

But I was wrong.

And I sure as hell never expected her to be a…wait for it…Jedi Master.

So a Jedi; hmmm…those that know me can attest to the fact I have a very mixed feelings about the Jedi, mostly cynical due to being the bastard son to the Grand Master. That's right…I am Grand Master Satele Shan's dirty little secret. I must say I love the irony when the third line of Jedi code says "There is no passion, there is only serenity." Yet, the Grand Jedi Master Satele Shan managed abandon the serenity and begin a very passionate affair with biological father Jace Malcom. Nine months later, I popped out and she left me with Master Zho to raise me so she could continue her role as a Jedi.

Oh, and my dad? Well he is the Supreme Commander of the Republic Army. Well, asides from him being kind of a dick. Maybe thats how Grandmaster Satele obeyed the third line. Showed no passion, and there was peace of not hearing from my father. Who knows?

And you are still with me, now you know as much about my family history as I do.

To say it took me a long time to come to terms with my mother's decision is a severe understatement because even as an adult I still have a big problem with the way she pawned me off on Master Zho. I respect her reasons and, as an adult, on some level I understand it, but the resentment runs deep. I suppose a shrink would say I have anger issues stemming from my mother's rejection. Nothing could be further from the truth. Master Zho was both mother, and father to me and I never wanted for anything. If anything, on a personal level I only feel apathy with regard to my mother, especially when she refers to me as _her agent_. Perhaps a shrink should talk to _her_.

It may seem difficult to believe that I do not hate her and we have a good working relationship. Yes, she calls me _her agent_ rather than son or any adoring names. Heck, at least my father recognizes me publicly as his son. If he were not such a braggart, there might be something there. However, Satele is a consummate professional and doesn't really shun me. That's an improvement over some other children I seen in the bowels of Coruscant. Remote and on homeworld, my job does take me to the dirtiest places. Makes me sort of grateful that Grand Master doesn't have a price on my head.

So back to the original purpose for this entry and my horrible luck with women due to what some feel are my "mommy issues" I do not know what Corana Chadeh's first impression of me was the day she first walked into the war room on Carrick Station, but I was completely thunderstruck. Now I know what you are probably thinking. I knew this was the girl I would love for the rest of my life and all that romance crap as soon as I gazed at her when she walked in. Even though part of that was true; after all, what man wouldn't be smitten by an alluringly beautiful, blonde woman who looked like a goddess with the cadence of a fleet commander?

But, the day she walked into my life, I knew exactly who she was. In fact, I have been keeping tabs on her for nearly 15 standard years. I know how that probably sounds, but I did mention that I was a spy, right?

Backing things up a bit, I have known who Corana was since I was an angry 13 year old. Even then I knew she was special.

"Theron...please remain focused. Concentrate." Master Zho ordered me calmly as I tried to move a rock for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

By then my frustration had reached its breaking point. While Zho taught me patience and discipline, my youthful temper got to me.

"Don't you get it? I can't do it!" I hurled my training staff at a nearby wall; a judgement I would regret later. "I'm not a Jedi! And I never will be, so just stop trying." I vaguely recall my voice cracking, partially due to tears of frustration, but primarily because of puberty as I bolted out the door.

It was then that I saw an older woman who had just stepped off a shuttle holding the hands of two little girls - they were twins who could not have been more than 6 years old. They looked exactly alike, but their personalities were as opposite as contrasting ends of a rancor.

The little girl on the right of the woman stuck out her tongue at me and pulled her lips outward with her fingers while making a repulsive vibration with her tongue. But the one on the left looked at me and gave me a sweet, yet intuitive smile. I will never be able to explain it in any way that would make sense to anybody but me…but I could feel she was reading me. Like she saw my anguish and wanted to fix me.

She was beautiful even then. Perhaps not in the strong and desirable way she carried herself the day she arrived on Carrick, but there was something uncannily mature and perceptive. Her long golden hair was pulled to the side in a loose braid setting off her steel gray eyes.

After watching me for a few minutes, she let go of the woman's hand and headed in my direction.

"Corana, do not go too far. We have a long journey ahead." The woman called after her.

"I won't." She replied without turning around to look at the woman.

When she stood next to me, she looked up at me inquisitively. "Why do you rage so?" She asked me with curious sadness in her voice. "What makes you sad?"

"Ah…I…" I opened my mouth to speak, but there was something about that little girl that overwhelmed my senses in such a manner that I could not find the words speak. And somehow, she appeared to understand and gave me a smile; the same smile that stops my heart every time I looked at her; then cupped her hands around mine and closed her eyes.

I could feel her inside my senses, warming me with a ray of light which weaved along the path of all that ailed me; my pain of being rejected by my mother, anger at my inability to learn the ways of the Jedi. She was taking all of my pain and soothing it away. My understanding of Jedi was still limited and I was still amazed what gifted students could do with force. However, I have never seen or felt anything like this.

And once she had concluded, the light slowly died, taking all of my pain with it.

"You feel that you are a failure because you are not a Jedi, Theron Shan. But the force still works within you. You are going to do great things for the galaxy. And when that happens, we will meet again."

I wanted to ask her "How in the hell do you know my name?" but don't think I would understand even if she did tell me.

She then leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek before walking away, only taking a moment to glance back before she rejoined the woman and her twin as they all climbed in the shuttle.

But not before the other little girl turned and looked at me. Although she did not speak, I could hear her leering inside my head. I placed my hands over my ears to block out the harsh whispers that echoed in my mind. But only laughter and that child's awful face filled with purple electricity pulsed through me...undoing all of the healing done by Corana. I was powerless to fight her…she made me weak.

"Alexikel! STOP!" I was once again flooded by her light rejuvenating my soul as she had before as though she had swiped her from where she stood.

And as their shuttle took off, they were gone, but her light remained. When I returned to Master Zho I was in a much better frame of mind and able to focus, even if I still couldn't lift that damn rock.

I am sure you have already figured out that I never became Jedi. I joined the SIS in my early 20's as a field agent. My job was to familiarize myself with both enemies and allies with the Imperials and Republic. Contrary to popular belief, there are good guys and bad guys on both sides of the war; I made it my business to learn every detail of their lives which included checking travel logs in and out of galactic ports, and public conversations terminals. I know what time they eat their breakfast, what time they sleep and with who, what time they go to the bathroom and where. Whatever I did not know I would ask – usually nicely. If they refused to give me what I wanted to know – well, the less we speak of that the better.

Maybe 16 years after my encounter with that little girl named Corana, I started hearing a lot of buzz about a young Padawan that hit the ground running almost the moment she touched down at the Jedi Academy. When enemy forces came in to make trouble, she was front and center of the battle. There was no visual confirmation needed because I knew who she was right away.

Over the next few years, I kept my distance, but continued to check in on her from time to time.

Ok, I know how that sounds, but I did mention I was a spy, right? To be fair, it wasn't difficult to find facts, because Corana Chadneh quickly rose through the ranks of the Republic leading the Jedi's fight against the Empire.

So, now that you are all caught up, let us go back to the beginning of my story; the day she walked into the war room…and, even though I did not know it at that time, into my heart forever.

I have been around the galaxy more times than I care to count; when I tell you I have seen everything, you can believe it. Until that moment, I thought that nothing could throw me off my solid footing.

I was wrong.

As a spy, I am trained to stay calm under all circumstances. And while I am confident I saved face, underneath my heart was racing and million miles an hour and I was sweating like crazy.

But there she stood; that same little girl all grown up and every ounce the benevolent hero she was meant to be.

So anyway, while Corana and I worked together to find and destroy Raven and his followers, a deep friendship developed. We would sometimes take a break and just talk about whatever was on our minds, sometimes well into the night. A deep friendship evolved because absolute trust was needed when fighting the war against Revan and his minions. However, for me it was more than friendship – I had fallen in love. And for weeks, I felt my feelings were unreciprocated. I really thought she was hooked up with Doc and had no interest in me.

Well, it took my Imperial counterpart/friend/partner Lana Beniko literally slapping me up the side of my head before I even realized she was sending me signals that were going undetected.

 _THWAP!_

"What the hell Beniko?" I looked up from my computer at her while rubbing my head. "What is wrong with you?"

Now, Lana is one of the "good" guys on the Imperial side. Well, sort of. She makes no bones about being a loyal Sith, but she has her limits. She won't throw an entire populace into a volcano on a whim. However, the smack up my head came out of nowhere and it had irked me.

"What is wrong with _you_?!" She shouted while she shook her fist at me. Another sign I was in trouble. Lana has a tendency to keep her cool, or make it look like it. She never really let her emotions get so out of control that random lightning strikes occur. "That girl has been throwing hints at you all over the place, and you are so focused on your lunatic ancestors that you don't even notice. You're an idiot!"

"Oh, Kira?" I snickered then burst into laughter because Kira had not exactly been subtle in asking me to meet her at the cantina, or to the beach because she wanted to help me "relax. Yes I have noticed! The Jungle Wompas have noticed. She's cute…very cute…just not my type."

Lana herself was now laughing aloud as though I had lost my mind. "Oh PLEASE! That girl has been hitting on ME!"

"Really?" I looked up over my shoulder and flashed a grin, as pleasurable visions played in my brain. "And did you...?"

She stopped talking and gave me a glare that was my queue to shut up. Lana may be the nicest Sith you sit across the room from on Dromund Kaas, but she is still a Sith. So, I let her continue uninterrupted.

"I'm talking about the one that IS your type! The same one you have been staring at with those love-struck eyes."

"Carona?" I played off my response nonchalantly. "I'm just a guy. She's a Jedi Master and that makes her out of my league. Besides, you know my history with the Jedi and how I feel about them."

"Out of your league? She's a Jedi, Theron, but she isn't Satele. She hasn't shuttered all her emotions into a cold husk." she replied as I shuddered at the comparison. Satele wasn't cold, but you knew her priorities wasn't in the warm fuzzies. "Corana is her own woman! And have you even looked at yourself? You are incredibly attractive. Pair that with being a spy…"

"Ok…I think you are forgetting that being a spy requires keeping your identity secret. Maybe if you shout a little louder the Rishi villagers will be able to hear you." Although annoyed by her excessive ribbing was getting on my last good nerve, I also knew that she was very intuitive which made her good at what she does, so I took a moment to ponder what she was saying. "Ok, so you really think she's interested?"

"Aaaarrrgh! You are pathetic! The next time she asks you if you have a moment to talk, do not tell her you have something to take care of and you will catch up with her later because you never do!" Lana sighs after that remark as she prepares her next statements. "She's not interested in mission plans and stats, but rather how you look with your shirtoff."

"Beniko! What the…"

Again, her laughter rang out, irritating me even further.

"You…are blushing! Theron Shan the spy with ice water veins is blushing! "

"I am NOT blushing! On the other hand you are pissing me off Beniko! Can we get back to business? Please?"

"You are wound up tight, Shan! When was the last time you got laid?"

"BENIKO! FOR FU..." I rarely sputter unless I am incredibly pissed off, and Ms. Sith Lord was pressing the right buttons. "OUT!"

"Ok...I'm leaving." She turned on her heel with a smirk on her face and headed to the door then stopped in the doorway and turned to look at me. "Maybe your right and she is a Jedi who follows the code to be book. But I also see how you two look at each other. So next time she wants to talk alone, stop treating her like your unwashed underwear and talk to her. I really think something good can come from the two of you."

"Did I really just get love advice from a Sith Lord?" I asked incredulously at her just as she was about to leave. "And the same one that just had me kidnapped by Revan?"

Lana just smiled and raised an eyebrow. "So about Kira…what would you say if I did?"

Now I had not known Lana for a long time, but in the short time we have been working together, I have gotten a pretty good sense of what makes her tick.

"Holo, or it didn't happen." I shifted my eyes catching a side view of the Sith-like snarl she was giving me.

"You are a pig from hell." She spat venomously and stomped out of the hut.

"Hey! I'm a guy!" I hollered after her.

"Don't make me force choke you!" She shouted back causing me to burst out laughing. Yeah, Lana and I got along well for a Rep and an Imp.

Some days later, after Corana and her crew fought the battle of Rishi, ridding the planet of Revan's goons for good; it was time to take the battle to Yavin 4 where my intel had shown a high amount of Revanite activity. A meeting took place that included Lana, Jakaroo and myself, Corana and her crew, plus the addition of Jedi Grand Master Shan and Darth Marr. Now Marr was another member of the Sith Empire I had a lot of respect for, but I still did not fully trust him.

Once the meeting had ended, the 4 of us stayed behind to discuss the logistics of our trip to Yavin. Corana approached me and asked if I could stay for a moment and talk after our meeting. Even though I had a lot to do before we left and although I was still pissed off at Beniko for arranging my kidnapping, I recalled her advice and stopped what I was doing and leaned against the table folding my arms. "Sure…of course." I smiled and looked at Lana who gave me a favorable nod.

Once everyone had left I she walked in my direction. I felt that neither of us were real sure what to say, or where to start.

"So I guess the next time a spy asks you out to talk business, you won't be so quick to say yes." I smiled and gave a nervous chuckle hoping to break the ice.

"Are you kidding me? I'm having more fun than I have had in a long time." She laughed then a note of seriousness took over. "That day seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?"

"Seems like a long, long time ago, and sometimes feels like in a galaxy far far away." I quipped before realizing how cheesy it sounded. "Every wonder what would happen if I became a Jedi and you were just a regular person? Not force sensitive? Or we were both Jedi?"

I was incoherently struggling to think of how to talk to this beautiful woman.

"You would have been a wonderful Jedi, Theron." Her smile was warm and no indication was given that she was turned off by my ramblings. "And I think we would have worked as great together. I might have even been your Padawan." She was so easy to talk to I was feeling at ease.

"Well you know, I am used to being on my own. I never liked working with people so the thought of being on a team sounded like a horrible idea. But this hasn't been so bad.

"Yes. I can't remember enjoying a mission like this in a long time. I have you to thank for that. And Lana and Jakarro have been very good to work with." She nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they are, but I was more referring to you." I stood up moving closer in her direction; the awkwardness had disappeared and I could feel the conversation changing its pace. "You have made this craziness all worthwhile. I'm glad you're here."

"I feel the same way." She also moved in closer. "I'm very glad I met you, Theron."

"Likewise." I hoped I was reading her right as I placed my hand behind her head then moved my lips closer to hers. At first, it was a single touch of our lips before we both pulled back and looked at each other to gage the other's expression. To my relief she was smiling. Taking it a step further I placed one arm behind her shoulders and the other around the small of her back while she looped her arms undermine then pressed our lips together beginning softly then growing in passion.

After a while we pulled back and bent our foreheads together smiling at each other. "Hi." Was all I could think to say followed by a short laugh.

"Hi yourself." She smiled softly before we kissed again. "Do you have any idea how long I have wanted to do that?"

"I'm thinking probably not as long as I have wanted to." I spoke the truth being as I had monitored her activities after joining the SIS. Instead of revealing this potentially creepy detail, I bopped her nose with my index finger. "I kept my distance because I thought you were with Doc."

She gave a laugh and shook her head.

"Oh goodness, no. At least not anymore. There were feelings and I still care for him, but honestly, he swept me off my feet and I was caught in a whirlwind that I really thought was love. But after a while I realized we did not share the same goals; I was dedicated to protecting the Republic, and he was dedicated to…" She paused briefly then gave a laugh. "…he was dedicated to finding a cure for a rare disease…even going as far as to give someone the disease so he could cure it. I came to the conclusion that we were not compatible in any way, so…"

"So, now here _we_ are…and something tells me that we are very compatible." I grinned as my fingers slid up and down her back.

"Really?" She asked lifting a playful eyebrow. "How so."

"Well…we both are part of the Republic…" I looked at her face to gauge her reaction as she let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "We are both on Rishi….we are both standing…in the same room…do we need any other qualifying reason?"

"Yes…it sounds like we are made for each other." She smiled as she looked at her comm. "Well as much as I want to stay, we have a long trip ahead of us and I need to round up my crew from the cantina."

"They're all at the Cantina?" I cocked my head curiously. Her crew consisted of an astromech droid, a Doctor, her Padawan, a Sith Lord and a soldier. "They all go out drinking together?"

She nodded and gave off an exasperated sigh. "They fight like crazy when they are sober, but liquor them up and they are the best of friends."

"Even the Sith?"

"Especially the Sith. That fellow has some stories. And I am off to find them." She started to leave. "I guess the next time I see you, we'll be on Yavin."

"Yes we will." I gave her a nod as she walked for the door. "Hey…" I called after her.

"Yes?"

Without a word I moved toward her and took ahold of her hands as I pulled her to me and pressed my lips against hers. The kiss lasted for close to a minute before I finally pulled back.

"Be safe. I'd like to continue this when things are less crazy."

"I'll be careful. Goodbye Theron."

Once I was sure she was out of sight, I let the moment sink in. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. Making sure nobody was around I pumped my fist and shouted "YESSSS!"

And then I heard the Wookie and the idiotic droid head he wears around his neck (yeah, I never got it either and I'm not sure I even want to know) at the door. Jakarro growled something about human mating rituals while the droid started spewing out a rise in my blood pressure due to increased sexual arousal.

"SHUT UP DROID!" The Wookie and I shouted in unison.

* * *

I had trouble sleeping the night after we arrived in Yavin. It was not the space travel; I have been traveling the galaxy since I was a kid, but for one thing I hate going to jungle climates because I wear a heavy uniform and it was always hot. At night I slept only in boxer shorts, but it was not only the heat keeping me awake. It was her occupying my thoughts, primarily our kiss before we left. It was not the first kiss I ever had, but it made me feel good…real good. There was something about her presence that just made me feel happy inside, and the kiss made me feel alive for what may have been the first time since I can remember.

Thinking of her also woke up little Theron. While it was something I could…and did…take care of on my own, sleep was now a futile effort. It was a good night for a walk, so I pulled on a pair of pants and strapped on the blasters because you never know what is lurking in the jungle.

Yavin's jungle is a pretty place rather or not you took the time to enjoy its magnificence. In my line of work, I rarely have time to stop and look around, but today I did. One of the skills I learned in my Jedi training was meditation. I did this often because it helps me to stay focused and keep myself centered. So I sat lotus position on a rock, then closed my eyes listening to the jungle's sounds and took a deep breath. It felt good to just relax.

Once I had taken in the jungle in my mind, I was attracted to the sound of a waterfall nearby which prompted me to take a look.

Well, I wasn't alone because Corana, the woman I couldn't get off my mind which provoked me to take a walk in the first place, was standing naked under the waterfall allowing it's cool water to run over her body. I could not help myself as I stared at its perfection; how each curve gave way to another, like it was formed by the gods.

"This is NOT helping!" I thought to myself.

It was at that moment when I realized I was standing in the bushes watching a naked woman taking a shower. The lower section of the falls was free and clear so I climbed down the rocks as quickly as I could get out of there without her seeing me.

The idea of the soothing water rinsing my body sounded like a great idea, so I took off my pants and walked under the smooth flowing water enjoying the way it cooled down my body. Taking it a step further, I moved to the lagoon and lifted my feet allowing myself to float. I closed my eyes and allowed the water to carry me.

For that brief moment, I was actually feeling the galaxy disappearing from my shoulders, until I detected movement in the area surrounding the lagoon. Its tread was too light to be an animal. Truth be told, I was more concerned of the Revanites presence than the nearby wildlife.

Even naked in the middle of the lagoon, my blaster sat on the shore with my bracer, I was well alert with my implants ready.

"Scan, Proximity 700." I whispered and the camera on my bracers sent scan of the jungle circling the lagoon to my eye. But it was not the Revanites or any beasts; just a beautiful Jedi girl trying to sneak off with my pants. I literally had to bite on the side of my cheeks to keep from laughing aloud. "Scan proximity 1100." I whispered as her hand went to grab for them. "Back off and step away from the pants." My voice echoed out of my comm.

I laughed hard as she let out a scream, followed by a splash. I had hoped my prank did not backfire and make her angry…most women I have ever been involved with do not like getting their hair wet. To my relief she stood up laughing then cupped her hands on the water and splashed me.

"Did you really think you could sneak up on a spy?" I was grateful the water was at my waist level so she could not see my junk.

"I suppose I didn't think that all the way through." She smiled and walked into the water placed her hands on my chest.

"But you should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless."

"Did I look stupid?"

"You looked adorable." I placed a kiss on her lips. "And now…about my pants."

"They are right there where you left them." She motioned to the shore. "Go get them."

"Do you really think I won't step out of the water and come get them? I'm trying to be a gentleman and not show you my boy parts."

"Do you think I've never seen a naked man before? If I see anything I haven't seen before, I'll cut it off.." She extended her hand and the saber dislodged itself from the sand and flew straight to her.

"Show off." I folded my arms making no attempt to move out of the waist high lagoon. I splashed water on her, which prompted her to splash right back. This went on for several seconds until she lost her footing and fell over backwards, but not before grabbing onto my hand pulling me with her. I landed right on top of her where the water was more shallow.

"That's twice I got you! Some spy you are." She smiled at me not attempting to move.

"I can always be disarmed by a beautiful woman." I touched her face and bent my head to kiss her, but she did not return the gesture.

Instead, she placed her fingers against my lips.

"By _any_ beautiful woman?" She cocked her head raising a playful eyebrow.

"The only one that I care about is you." I allowed my thumb to stroke her face as I stared at the way the nearby torches radiated from her damp skin.

"Good answer." She spoke just above a whisper as she reached up and placed her hands on the back of my head, pulling my lips to hers.

The kiss began softly giving way to intense passion as I felt her lips travel down the side of my neck to my shoulder nuzzling me softly, which indicated to me that she wanted to take the moment to the next level.

I smiled as I ran my lips along the curve of her neck moving lower as I pushed aside her shift and nuzzled her breast. A soft moan escaped her lips and I reached behind her pulling her up until she was laying across my lap.

But then, all at once, the animosity I felt for Satele abandoning me came rushing back as if a damn had broken and flooded my mind. I stopped and let go of her. "I'm sorry."

Corana was justifiably taken aback by the way I abruptly stopped. I grabbed my pants, and pulled them on. "Theron?" She stood up and pulled her wet shift around her exposed breasts before she approached me. "I know I'm not a bad kisser…" She cocked her head studying my face. "…so I sense this has something to do with your family history and me being a Jedi?"

I turned to her half-smiling at her perception. I wasn't sure if it was the Jedi in her, or if she was just that intuitive. "So…I'm not the first guy that that's ever kissed you, eh?"

"No." She smiled and placed one hand on my shoulder and other caressed my back. "But so far you are the best."

I could not help but reach out and pull her into my arms.

"It's not you. Trust me. I am very into you…a lot, which is part of the problem."

"I like you too…a lot. Usually that is the requirement for 2 people to begin a relationship…but maybe because I'm a Jedi you are having doubts?"

"No. I mean yes…but I don't know if the word _doubt_ is the right word. Damnit! This is not coming out the way I want it to."

"You are actually making perfect sense, Theron." Her voice was reassuring as she ran her fingers up and down my arm. "Your mother was a Jedi who gave you up to be raised someone else. Of course you have concerns."

"You are the kind of girl a guy waits his whole life for. You are beautiful, kind, and fun. You have a playful sense of humor...and if I didn't mention it before, you are unbelievably beautiful." She smiled and blushed slightly as I stroked her face. "I don't know what this is yet…but I feel like you are the one I could be with for the rest of my life. However, you are a Jedi and…"

She placed her fingers over my lips while shaking her head.

"Theron, I am a Jedi. I fight for the Republic and live by the code. My role does not define me. I live by my own rules and I make my own choices."

As she spoke, I wondered to myself what I did right in my life to find someone so amazing who just happened to be extraordinarily attractive. I was falling hard, and I this would be the moment to walk away if she did not want to take this further "I don't mean to sound like a complete ass, but I spent enough time around Jedi to know that the order frowns on human attachments including a significant other, marriage, family. They believe that love gives way to jealousy and deception. Me? I know better than anyone that love, human attachments and all that crap can cause problems. Believe me…I have been there. "

"You have made it clear how you feel about Jedi, Theron. You do not sound like an ass; you sound exactly how anyone would feel that went through what you did."

"I don't hate the Jedi, but I can't pretend I like the code. And I might as well get this out right now while we are being honest; I think it's a load of crap."

Now I expected her to become angry and leave; but I was stunned when I looked at her for a reaction and found her smiling. The words that came next I did not expect.

"I don't disagree."

"No…" I folded my arms and stared at her completely astounded. "Common…You are a Jedi! The code is drilled into you from the moment you are born."

"Yes. We are taught the code when we are children. You know this."

I wrapped my arms across my chest and shoved my hands under my armpits. "I know I am getting way ahead of myself and I probably don't have any right to ask you this, but I have to know if we continue down this road and you are faced with a choice…I just need to know that you aren't going to bail because you are a Jedi." I really hope I had not sounded needy. "I mean it could be a lot of reasons that this doesn't work out…you will probably hate that I hog the covers; or I can't handle you snoring…" Her mouth opened wide as she emitted a playful scoff as I grinned while placing my hands on her shoulders caressing them softly. "I'm falling hard …and I can handle whatever comes our way; but if you come to me and tell me that you need to break things off because you need to focus on the order, I will not be ok with that."

"I believe we have been given a gift. I do not know what the future holds, but I want you to be part of that future. It is crazy…we have not known each other for a long time, but I have feelings for you that are very intense. I feel like you are in my life because you are supposed to be. But I am a Jedi Master. I give the obligation that comes with it the devotion it deserves. And you are committed to serving the SIS with the same level of commitment…so I choose being a Jedi…"

Her pause caused my heart to drop into my stomach believing I knew what was coming next.

"…and more importantly I choose you, Theron." My eyes snapped open and a huge grin spread across my face…I expected the worse, but I was never so happy to be wrong. She walked around until we were standing face to face then reached down taking my hands. "Our time together may not be often and far between, but I want you in my life."

My eyes closed. "Yessss!" I whispered much more eagerly than I had intended which made her laugh softly. "It is going to be a challenge. But I really want to give us a try and I want you to be ok with it too."

"I'm more than ok." She grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me to her; I reacted by picking her up in my arms ready to carry her somewhere private.

"I think we are on the same page…"

I should have known better than to say it aloud because as the words came out, I heard the unmistakable trilling of a blaster charging just behind us. I looked at Carona who rolled her eyes.

"Really?" As soon as I set her on her feet, without hesitation she thrust her hands forward as her lightsabers flew into her hands. I have seen some Jedi struggle with fighting with one lightsaber, but she seems to master the ability to fight with both amongst a few close friends of hers.

"I guess we should take care of them." I sighed and touched my implant. "Blaster." I shouted which brought it right to me. We both turned in the direction the blaster came from to find ourselves facing over a dozen Revanites. "Remind me to add cock blocking to his list of crimes." I snarled through my gritted teeth and opened fire as Carona sprang into action leaping from one to the other taking them out with what seemed like very little effort. Between the two of us, the men lay dead at our feet - except for one who lay wounded. I had sensed hesitation, which caused me to miss hitting any vital organs or arteries.

Carona and I approached him.

"Get up." Her voice was calm, but its cadence reminded me of the tone Master Zho used when I attempted to hide or fabricate the truth. "Where is Revan?"

"I don't know." The Revanite trembled beneath his robes. "We don't contact him…he contacts us! We've never seen or met him!"

"So let me get this straight…you blindly follow some whack job that you have never even met or seen before?" I laughed in amazement. "You need get a hobby. I hear synthweaving is popular these days."

"You don't understand! He is a deity!" The Revanite shouted as Carona and I looked at each other and shrugged.

"A DIETY?" I purposefully laughed aloud boisterously. "Who told you that? Revan? His other followers?" I bent my knees so I was at eye level with him. "Revan is a lot of things, but being a deity is not one of them."

"No…No!" He seemed desperate to get it through our heads what he believed Revan to be. "It is said that he is a spirit!"

I crossed my arms again, ready to make a snide remark, but Carona shot me a glare that made me take a step back; this was likely because I lack soft skills and she wanted to try it her own way.

"Can you explain why you believe he is a deity…or a spirit?"

A spirit. Well, this confirmed what Carona said in our Holo conversation.

"He is same! He is spirit and he is man! Please! I do not know anything else. Please let me go!"

"He's telling the truth." She looked to me as though she was placing the ball back in my court.

I sighed heavily.

"Ok, go." I figured we had placed enough fear into him that he would not cause any further trouble. "But if you run into your leader, tell him ghost, or not he's going down. And tell all your buddies what happened to your other pals, because next time we won't be so nice."

The Revanite nodded quickly and bolted away without looking back.

Corana turned to me then shrugged while shaking her head.

"What do you think?"

"You're the Jedi." I shrugged. "If you don't know, then I damn sure don't know either. Between our Holo conversation with Satele yesterday where you told us about a visit with his spirit…well, I'm having a real hard time wrapping my mind around the big picture. I don't believe in ghosts, but if you tell me you had a visit from Raven's spirit, I believe you without uncertainty."

"So that leaves us with a big question…who is wearing his robes?" The look on her face established she was as confounded as I was.

I shook my head and shrugged.

"I suppose we'll learn soon enough." We both smiled regretfully while laughing softly. "Well, that kind of broke the mood."

"Maybe it's for the best. We were so lost in each other we did not notice the Revanites were in our proximity. If nothing else, this proved we need to stay focused until we have won. " She folded her arms across her chest gazing at me as if to take it all in. "But after this is over…"

I nodded in agreement.

"You and I have a date." I moved closer and pulled her into a tender kiss. "And hopefully, soon." She leaned into me as we wrapped our arms around each other for a moment. "Real soon." I whispered. "Common…I'll walk you back to your ship."

She looked up at me raising a playful eyebrow. "Are you worried about me getting hurt out here in the jungle? I think we both know I know my way around a light saber."

I sighed and shook my head. "Ok, maybe I'm the one who needs protecting." I let a wry grin play across my mouth. "Or…maybe I just want to be with you as long as I can before we start pretending we are nothing but allies."

"Well you hardly need my protection….but I'm ok with the latter." I placed my arm around her shoulder as we walked approximately ¼ miles back to the staging area where our ships are docked. We did not speak as we came together once more into a kiss that neither of us wanted to end.

"THIS IS NOT YOUR DESTINY!" A deep, accented voice shouted from her ship's boarding ramp brought it to an abrupt end as Lord Scourge stood with his lightsaber drawn and throwing her robes at her. We were so lost in the moment between kiss and fight that we forgot that we were half-naked. I hear Yavin 4 might do that to you. "This _spy_ is not worthy of you!" He placed a repugnant emphasis on saying the word _spy_ as if he had just tasted something vile.

"Wait…what!" I laughed in amazement at his gull. Not only was I unable to comprehend her reasons of a Sith Lord being part of her crew, but now he was out her playing guardian? "You are a SITH, not her father."

"The Jedi Master is my burden!" He seethed venom out of every pore in his body and his red eyes looked like they were going to melt me into a flesh puddle. "And you are a mere insect! It is my duty to protect her from distractions. The Emperor has not perished; she has not fulfilled her destiny."

I nearly choked on my own spit as I began to utter a wise-ass response, but Carona was already on it.

"When I agreed to allow you join my crew, I allowed it on the condition that you would work with my crew and not interfere. You did not have an issue when I was with Doc, why is it you are opposed to Theron?"

"What in the hell is going on out here? Don't you people believe in sleep?" Kira walked out the door followed by Doc, making things even more awkward, and a Chagrain who I recognized from the field by the name of Fideltyn Rusk, a Sargent in the Republic Army. Rusk gave me a nod of recognition to which I responded with a wave. Upon seeing the two of us half dressed, Kira folded her arms. "It's about time you two knocked it out."

"We didn't knock anything out!" I retorted much more defensively than I had intended. "Between Revan's followers, you guys and Papa Sith wielding his lightsaber over there, we probably won't ever get there."

"You are a distraction. The Jedi must follow her path!" Scourge bellowed yet again. "The galaxy is in danger of being destroyed and I will see to it that she does not deviate from her destiny by the likes of you?"

"Have I wronged you in some way?" I could not believe the tirade this guy was throwing at me. As far as I knew I had not met him before this mission.

"That is a very good question." Corana crossed her arms glaring at him. "Is there any reason you object to Theron?"

"Your animosity is for me, Lord Scourge. Please do not punish Theron." And Grand Master Satele Shan appeared out of virtually nowhere as always.

"Great! And now MOM is here." This was getting more unbelievable by the moment. "Did you bring my estranged father to join the party?"

Satele glanced in my direction but did not seem to notice…or even care that her presence was not needed; or wanted.

"Lord Scourge and I fought on opposite sides in the battle for Alderon. We lost people on both sides of the battle. Do not blame my son for any part in that."

"My reasons do not have anything to do with our past debaucheries." His voice hissed while some sort of steam emitted around his body. "Your family is directly descended from Revan. I know firsthand the evil he is capable of."

I blinked repeatedly.

" _What_?"

"I am well aware that Theron descends from Revan." Corana spat back at him. "He also descends from Bastile Shan, Satele Shan and Jace Malcom who are all Republic heroes. And if I recall, you trained under Revan at the Sith academy, did you not?"

"So…she's seeing _him_ now?" I heard Doc lean in and ask Kira who rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" She snarled. It was clear that she did not want to miss a single beat of the exchange.

"Well when did this happen?" That time his tone was now angrier.

"It's been coming since the moment they met! Because you are a jerk and wanted to play the field, she found a guy worthy of her. Try to keep up, dumbass!"

I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from bursting into laughter as Doc appeared to be very put out by this news as the conversation continued.

"If you all insist that Theron Shan is commendable and not a threat to the Master's life, than I will not interfere. But if I learn differently…." He slashed a tree branch with his lightsaber, the whole time staring at my mid-section, then turned on the heel of his boots, finally extinguishing his blade as he stomped back inside Corana's ship.

"Hey, what if something was living there?" Kira yells after Lord Scourge before looking at the rest of the group. "Ok…nothing to see here. Let the lovebirds say goodnight. Move out!" Kira attempted to shout over the commotion.

However, when nobody listened Kira as usual, Grand Master Shan put in her quarter credit as only Satele Shan can get away with.

"We have all had enough activity for one evening. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, I recommend that we all return to our quarters and get some rest." Even though she spoke in her normal voice level, all present heard…and obeyed. And without saying another word she was gone just as quickly as she arrived; Satele has that effect on people. I may say a lot of things about Grandmaster Satele as a mother, but as a commander of all Jedi forces, she is one woman you don't trifle with.

Once we were finally alone, we turned face to each other. I had been suppressing my laughter, but as soon as the last person was gone, the barrier I had created by pressing my lips together burst emitting a snort as I did so.

"Did you really just…snort?" Corana stared at me with sheer amazement. "Theron Shan…Republic spy with nerves of steel snorts when he laughs."

"It is one of my best kept secrets. That is one of the reasons I remain stoic and rarely laugh out loud." I pressed my lips firmly together and twisted my nose repugnantly. "And…I hate smiling because when I do I am all teeth. And you are the only person I have ever told this to….so if you ever tell anybody, there will be consequences." I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her in closer to me.

"Consequences?" She smiled as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Such as?"

"I think we could find a punishment severe enough to fit the crime." I flashed a grin then leaned taking her lips to mine.

"And something tells me I will enjoy your punishments." She smiled at me between kisses. "And I have seen you in full smile; you are not all teeth."

"But I'm a SPY! I am supposed to be all tough and badass!"

"Your secret will go with me to my grave." She smiled as she bent her forehead against mine.

I did not want to let her go and she did not attempt to break out of the embrace.

"I guess we should say good night?" I finally said reluctantly.

"Count of 3?" She looked up at me

"Starting now." I pulled her in tighter, then covered her mouth with my own one more time while counting between kisses. "One…Two…" I pulled away briefly as we looked at each other halfheartedly.

"Three." We both counted then broke off.

"Goodnight." I reluctantly let go of her hand as she quickly turned and walked up the ramp to her vessel. "Hey…."

She stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

"I'm really looking forward to continuing this later." I gave her a wink and continued my path back to my ship.

Once inside, I showered off and climbed back into bed. Thoughts of her remained, but instead of keeping me awake, thoughts of her made me feel content, and sleep came easily.

But as my luck would have it, sleep did not last long as every failed relationship jumped up and bit me in the ass. I will never be the kind of man that is home every night; my need for adrenaline is too great to hold on to any woman, nor should any woman I would be interested in be expected to.

But Corana is different. I cannot help thinking that we were created for each other. We each have a similar sense of adventure and she understands what I do and why.

And then the irony of it all hits me; my entire existence is based on the Grand Master's biggest secret and now I have fallen in love with a Jedi. Is Corana a bad Jedi for falling for me? Am I corrupting her by loving her? On both versions, I would have to say no. I believe we complete each other. From the first time I kissed her I felt like she was a part of me; like I was a part of her.

"The force flows through us all and sometimes it works in ways we do not always understand." Master Zho spoke these words daily. I dismissed as the ramblings of an old man, but I don't think I even realized how wise he really was…until now.

I really miss the old man.

And while I'm rambling, I guess I always thought a girl like her was way out of my league and to even have her look at me would take some work on my part. Even if I was fortunate enough to obtain her, sex was a long ways away. I don't know if tonight was because we were both wet and half naked, but before the Revanites showed up and killed the moment, we were well on our way down that path. Maybe we became swept up in in the moment…but for me it was so much more than that. I mean, of course it was physical, but it did not start or stop there. I wanted all of her. I wanted to share my soul with her and hers with mine. I wanted her to feel every ounce of love I have for her.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day we catch up with Revan. Maybe the day after that. It will take as long as it takes. We have agreed to let us go until the threat of Revan and his followers have been neutralized.

After that…only time itself will write that story…

… _to be continued (maybe)_


	2. Chapter 2

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

This is the code of the Jedi Order. 

The Jedi Code is a set of rules that directs the behavior of the Jedi within the order. 

From the time a child is of age, they are taught to live by its meaning by not giving into anger or passion to prevent them from falling to the dark side of the Force.

Corana Chadneh was just one of thousands of children raised by the Jedi and lived her life by the code that she vowed never to stray from its lessons.

Before she was a Jedi Padawan, Corana had memories of playing in meadows, picking flowers and running about carefree. Memories of her childhood were very scarce and what she could remember became distorted by time.

However, one memory haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember.

While the details of that day were foggy, she remembers playing in a lush field outside a large house. A man and woman sparred with lightsabers nearby in the courtyard while a small boy, who appears 7 or 8 years of age played nearby mimicking their motions with a stick. Corana also recalled a little girl identical to herself playing with her in that field.

Upon reflection, she assumes these people are her family.

The man fought with a red saber appeared to have Sith-like features with reddish skin and yellow eyes, but he didn't show signs of a pureblood. His dark brown hair touched his shoulders setting off his angular features. The young boy bore a resemblance to him. The woman, who fought with a blue lightsaber that gave Corana the impression of being a Jedi, fought with grace and beauty with her golden hair neatly pulled up with a long braid hanging down her back.

However, the little girl with the same features sparked her curiosity more, which she thought the girl was possibly a twin. The mysteriously familiar sensation that she felt with the girl gave her the initiation that she was a kindred, which further the suggestion of a twin. She seen holocrons talking about special connections that the rare gifted twins share, which makes her wonder who that girl was.

The dream always starts out with happy occasions in the lush field, but turns toward the dark as Imperial and Republic soldiers converging on the scene to take her parents. When her father was cutdown for resisting, the mother went into anguish. Not just cry out, but a visible rumbling on the ground as her voice screams.

The boy runs to the two girls and tries to tug them along.

"C'mon, we have to run!" he shouted, but before they could escape they were surrounded by blue people. Not wearing blue clothing, but five blue featureless figures surrounding them.

"Children. There is nowhere for you to go. You need to come with us."

The children tried to run, but were grabbed by the blue figures. Dragging them away as they screamed for their mother. The part that haunts Corana the most was the look on her mother's face when she looks towards them.

"No! Please, not my children!" She pleaded with the figures, who appear remorseless in their behavior. "They have nothing to do with this! Please, let them go!"

She was met with multiple electrodes that shocked and dropped her to the ground. Corana watch as the Republic soldiers dragged the limp body away, which the last time she saw her, her twin, or the boy again.

She often wonders if this was a memory, or just a nightmare after not knowing what happened to her family. People who took her in at the temple didn't seem to know, but that didn't stop them from giving her the support she needed to grow into her own person within the Jedi order.

Corana arrives on Typhon to complete her trials, which Master Weller prepared her for until the age of 19. However, the traditional trials were short-lived when Flesh Raiders attack the compounds, which sent Corana and other Padawans into battle. Her tireless efforts to curb the threat attracted the attention of Master Orgus Din and Grand Master Satele Shan. After defeating the fallen Padawan responsible for the attacks and returning him for healing, she was promoted to Jedi Knight and heralded as the Hero of Typhon.

However, there is no rest for the weary, and the same goes for heros. Under the guidance of Master Din and Grand Master Shan, Corana commanded the Jedi Forces on Corellia to victory and saved millions by stopping a chemical explosion.

In a final assault, Corana led her crew to the Sith Temple on Dromound Kaas and killed the Sith Emperor.

However, all those heroics doesn't stop one from sitting down to have tea with the Grand Master. Satele was a hero in her own right, so Corana was humbled to sit in her small apartment to discuss the future. The apartment was not lavish, but comfortable as necessary for meditations.

"It is a great honor to carry the mantle of Jedi Master." Master Satele sat across from her wearing her Jedi robe rather than the battle gear Corana was used to seeing her in. "Many Jedi that have walked these halls, but few have proven worthy of the debt of Jedi Master."

Satele carefully examines Corana, which made her nervous. Corana trusts Satele, but the woman has a way of calculating every little thing. It makes her a formidable battle-tested master, but it can cause slight discomfort in wonder what you did wrong by the code.

"If the time came to separate from your crew, would you be able to let them move on to other roles within the Republic?"

"I am close to my crew." Corana replies impassively. "I have traveled with them around the galaxy for many years."

Corana took a few brief moments to capture her thoughts. She knew that the Jedi doesn't allow attachments, and for good reasons. However, she could never find it in herself to stone herself off from the rest of the galaxy.

"I will be very honest with you Grand Master; you cannot spend that much time with people without developing a deep connection, but I will trust the council that any reassignment is for the greater good." Corana responds and takes a sip of tea to pause the moment a bit. "While I will miss them, I will accept any decision with that goal in mind."

Satele mildly smiles in pleasure of the response.

"Do you accept your current role knowing that the Jedi Order forbids marriage?" Satele questions her and examines Corana's face again. "You are a beautiful young woman, Corana, and I can imagine that many men compete for your heart. What if you meet a man that captures your love?"

Corana let out a soft, thoughtful sigh as she ponders her answer. She has been with men before, but Dr. Archibald Kimball, known as Doc, was the closest she got to love. She knew some of the consequences of attachment, but not the prohibition of marriage. However, she trusts the Jedi Council wisdom generated from thousands of years of experience, and respects the decision they had made to this factor.

"I fully accept my role and I understand what is expected of me." she says with a sigh. "I really do not know how I will handle myself if someday I find myself in love, but I do know that I am a Jedi Knight and my responsibilities take precedence above my personal needs and that will never change."

Satele stood up offering her a controlled, yet content smile.

"Then on behalf of the Jedi Council, I welcome you, Master Corana Chadneh." She places her hands together. "May the force be with you."

Corana remained complacent as she returned the Grand Master's gesture of respect and welcome. She didn't know that the whole thing was a test for becoming a Master, but she had learned to control her emotion before letting it get the best of her.

"I thank you, Master Satele. May the Force guide you as also."

However, Corana later learns what falling in love means as a jedi and a woman, and ironically, it was Master Satele's own son who became the love of her life.

Corana barely stepped out of Satele's apartment when Strategic Information Service called on her, or more specifically Theron Shan. The son of Satele had monitored Corana's activities for a while, and did not hesitate to recruit her for an urgent task.

Theron's rugged goods look made her heart skip a beat at first sight, but she learns later that he was deeply intense and passionate about keeping the galaxy safe. While the Jedi don't condone these traits, she was attracted to him instantly. While his ideals appealed to her, it was his dark wavy hair that perfectly offset his intense brown eyes and angular features that that made her feel weak at the sight of him. He did not smile a lot, but when he did it was a rare and beautiful event like a rainbow or a falling star.

"Are you any relation to Grand Master Satele Shan?" She asks him at their first meeting on Carrick Station.

He facepalms the question and shakes his head as if it was a question that he was tired of answering.

"And this is why I keep telling you I need a code name." He folds his arms across his chest while glaring at Colonel Rian Darok before looking back at her. "It's a long story, but I wouldn't mind taking you out for a drink sometime and tell you the whole story of my terrible childhood?"

"Oh, you poor thing." Carona couldn't help but giggle. She was used to men flirting with her, and it was clear he was doing just that, but there was something different about him; she couldn't really put her finger on it, but she got the feeling he did not flirt unless he really meant it. "I think I could cultivate a thirst to hear all about your life up until this point." She surprised herself that she was at ease with him. "I'm sorry for staring, but I get the feeling that we met somewhere before?"

"Well, if I had met you before, I don't think I could possibly forget you." A cryptic smile played across his bow shaped lips, without really answering her question. It was not clear if he was flirting, or pointedly avoiding an answer to her question. One of Corana's aptitudes within the Force was the ability to read people; she sensed that Theron recalled meeting her somewhere, but he did not feel it was the appropriate time to discuss it further.

Working with Theron for several months brought upon the unavoidable when her feelings began to grow. The attraction was physical, but what she felt for him was so much more. He made her feel things that she had never experienced and brought out a playful, flirtatious side she never knew was there. The physical attraction between them was instant; and while human attachments were forbidden by the order, celibacy was not. Her list of lovers was very short, and for the most part, she had been able to walk away from the encounter on a positive note while remaining friends with said partner. But even then she knew if she achieved that level of intimacy with Theron she would not be able to remain unattached. She also knew she would not want to.

These feelings defied all the things the Jedi had taught her and possibly a violation of the Jedi Code. Yet, for the first time since becoming a Jedi she began to question the order's rational in forbidding human attachments.

Before Theron, Corana had not known love of this magnitude. She thought she had loved before; the latest being Doc. He was handsome, dashing, passionate…and completely full of himself.

In hindsight, Corana would freely admit her affection for Doc was because he swept her off her feet, quickly propelling her into a romantic whirlwind. Together, along with her crew, they traveled the galaxy battling the empire and saving countless lives.

Once the newness of the romance wore off, it soon became clear to Corana that Doc had very different goals. It did not take long to see his wandering eye and passion for medicine. Doc wasn't a bad person by anybody's standards; in fact she thought highly of him and he certainly kept her up on a pedestal. But when he did ask her to marry him, much to his relief she declined his proposal; he was not asking because he wanted to get married, he was asking because he thought it was what she wanted. Even though the romance did not last, he remained a close friend and confident.

So when the moment arrived between Corana and Theron to take things to the next level, she was in all confidence that she was doing the right thing and he could only make her happy.

"There's just one more thing to do before we leave Yavin 4…" He steps closer to her and places his hands on her hips pulling her against him while offering a roguish grin. "…if you think you can keep up."

Their lips came together in a passionate kiss before Carona pulled back just enough to offer a perceptive smile.

"Is this what you had in mind?" She raises an eyebrow knowing full well where the moment was going.

"It's a good start." Theron's intentions were confirmed as he reached out placing one hand behind her head and the other on her ass pulling her back into a passionate kiss.

Corana broke away for a moment meeting his gaze.

"Now let's see if YOU can keep up, Agent Shan." She teases him friskily.

Theron didn't verbally respond, but checked the perimeter before hoisting her over his shoulders. As he walks towards his ship, Corana was screaming and laughing.

Once inside his ship, Theron set her down before locking the entrance. He returns to her without hesitation and pushes her against the wall with a feverish kiss, with both of them ripping at each others clothes. Soft, passionate moans escape each other's lips as desire built up. Theron scoops her up and carries her to his quarters. However, before tossing her on his bed like he wanted to,Theron sets her down and takes a step back instead of continuing.

"Ok, I know I'm going to sound like a broken halo recording…" He began as he stroked her hair. "…but before we reach a point we can't return; I need to know that you're ok with this. You are a Jedi and I know the order forbids…"

Corana place two fingers on his lips before he could finish.

"Theron, I am a Jedi Master, which is a responsibility and obligation I take seriously." She reaches up and brushes her fingers through his thick dark hair that was tousled due to the passionate foreplay. "A Jedi is what I am, but I am also a woman. Despite these robes, titles, and ceremony, we are people that have feelings, needs, and desires. I don't know what this is, what we are, or what this will become."

Corana places her lips against his and stokes his hair lovingly before continuing.

"But when I look at you my heart races out of control, which means I have to push these feelings down to keep the focus on the galaxy-saving task." She steps back and unlaced her shift to let it crumple by her feet. She saw him staring at her nude form and she smiles. "Tonight…" she spoke as she works on peeling his shirt off. "I feel the force brought us together to enjoy this gift and enjoy each other for a stolen moment or hour...or hours to be with you Theron."

She felt a little nervous with this moment. Doc was good, but this moment felt very different. She could not explain it since the holocrons didn't have any exact guidance. However, she felt different with Theron than any other man before him. However, Theron just grins and let out of a soft chuckle.

"You already had me convinced at 'despite these robes', you know." He presses his lips together as though he was trying not to laugh too hard. "But that was an amazing speech."

Corana slaps him playfully then smiles as he pulls her closer to him.

"You're a cheeky one, aren't you."

Theron smiles as he presses her soft body against him.

"Guilty." he spoke before placing soft kisses on her neck, which causes her to moan. "You're so…" he spoke as he trails up to her face "..beautiful.." His voice lowers to a whispers as his eyes travels across her soft supple skin.

Corana allowed her eyes to wander across his smooth, well defined form and takes it all in. His good looks were not the reason she cared for him; however, the pairing of his handsome features and well-toned body did not go unappreciated.

"And you are keeping that beautiful body hidden under that uniform very well, Agent Shan."

"I work out." He did not appear embarrassed or humbled by her observation, nor was he arrogant; it was more like he worked hard to keep in shape and liked that she noticed.

"I wouldn't mind watching that sometime." She smiles as her arms wraps around his waist.

"What about now?" He smiles and walks backwards in the direction of his bed pulling her with him. Once there, he grabbed ahold of her and fell backwards pulling him on top of her as Corana giggles.

For a long time, they laid together face to face; their unspoken love brimming over with each of them wanting so much to say the words, yet an uncertain future forced the their intense feelings to remain undeclared. Still, so many emotions were wordlessly spoken through their gaze as Theron's fingers lightly caressed the back of hair, before they came together, in a slow, sensual kiss that grew in its passion until they were completely engulfed in their shared hunger.

Theron did not waste any time as he gently lays her onto her back and began to explore her body with his hands while caressing his lips against her breasts and shoulders.

"I want to experience all of you." Theron's raspy whisper resonated through her ear before his lips travels lower to the inside of her legs; a soft gasp escapes her lips as his fingers wanders between her thighs and penetrated her moist labia creating a pleasurable sensation. She closes her eyes and reaches behind to grasp the pillow as she murmurs softly in pleasure that he is delivering. Moments later, her eyes shot wide open as he moved his lips to her labia that sent a shockwave of pleasure through her loins. Soon, she writhe on the bed as she fills the room with moans of intense pleasure as her loins implode in rapturous pleasure.

Theron smiles to himself at achieving his goal in bringing her pleasure.

"Are you ok?" He whispers as he tenderly stroked her hair and face.

"I'm better than ok." She barely able to catch her breath as she replies. "Whatever you're doing, don't stop."

A soft, muffled laugh vibrated her neck as his lips softly caresses her.

"I'm just getting started, beautiful." He whispers breathlessly as he climbs on top of her, slowly pushing inside of her. Theron shudders as Corana moans pleasurably as slides into her. They began to make love slowly as their bodies flow together with slow, controlled movements, savoring the intense sensations the union of their bodies created.

Theron raises his eyes to look into hers as he joins her body to savor every detail of her beautiful face Corana smiled back then slipped her arms under his shoulders, as their legs intertwined while their pace began to increase.

"I love you, Theron." She wanted to shout the words from her heart, or whisper in his ear. Her heart was bursting over with so much yearning, she could barely contain it.

At that moment, an unexpected warm glow came from deep within her heart and began to envelop her. The darkness of the room swept away from the orange light as it spread through her torso and flow down her arms and legs. The glow flow from her fingertips and toes onto Theron as it emerged him into its curing warmth.

Despite the visible engulfing sea of the force, the two barely noticed as they were embroiled in their love making. However, they could feel the fusion of their souls as the Force bound them together as one for reasons only known by the Force itself. But whatever its reasons, the glow seemed to stir their desires as Theron let out a pleasurable moan and pulled Corana into his lap.

"Corana." The whisper of her name drifted off his lips like a prayer as he embraces her lips to kiss her passionately. The glow now engulfed them both as he placed his hands against her hips rocking her harder against him. It was not only that he filled her in just in the right places; although that in itself brought gifts of its own; both could only describe the moment as destiny, like their souls were placed in that very moment.

Corana rocked hard against him, closing her eyes as she could feel heat caused by the friction he created building as her muscles bunched sending an implosion through her loins. Theron clenched his teeth together and let out a shout as he released.

Corana collapsed against him, then rolled off onto her back panting heavily. For a moment they lay side by side waiting for their breathing to return to normal; both of their bodies glistening from their passion.

Once he had recovered, Theron rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around her pulling her in until their foreheads were bent together. The corners of his lips turned up into a smile as his fingers caressed up and down her spine.

Neither spoke a word; for now they were content just staring into each other's eyes. Theron planted soft kisses against her forehead as she just laid in his arms feeling safe and loved.

"I don't want to sound cliché…" Theron broke the silence when he pulled back slightly and propped himself up on his elbow. "…but what are you thinking about?"

Corana laid on her back and looked up at him smiling. "I have many things on my mind." She reached up and traced his lips with her finger.

"Do any of those thoughts include me?" He took her hand and held onto it.

"All of them include you." She replied softly as her foot caressed the side of his leg.

"Anything you want to share?" He asked sounding more eager than he had intended.

"Well…" She paused shortly and stared at his hand holding onto hers then looked up meeting his eyes again. "I was thinking about the first time we met….things were pretty chaotic, but I wondered when you looked at me for the first time what you thought." She cocked her head and smiled.

"So you want to know when I looked at you and said to myself "damn, that is one hot Jedi, I can't wait to get her in my bed?" He raised a playful eyebrow and pulled her hand in against his chest rubbing it tenderly.

"Well I suppose that's one way of putting it…" she giggled softly. "…maybe not the way I would say it…"

"The second I looked at you." He interrupted and smiled then gave a soft chuckle. "Ok, that didn't come out right at all. What I meant was I noticed you right away. I thought you were beautiful, but…well…I'm a guy, so..."

She reached up and gave him a playful smack to his shoulder. "You are a typical guy, in so many ways."

"I've been called that and much worse." He bent down kissing her lips then pulled back and stroked her face gently. "Actually…I have been wondering how to bring this up to you…but that day on Carrick Station was not the first time we met."

Corana sat up propping herself on her elbows and cocked her head. "I have felt since I first saw you that there was something familiar about you. I have worked with the SIS many times, and I definitely would have remembered you. Did we ever work together in the field?"

Theron shook his head. "It wasn't in battle. In fact, you were just a little girl when I first saw you...five years…maybe six. You were the cutest little thing I have ever seen to this day."

"I think you are just partial." She turned herself so she was face to face with him and kissed his lips softly. "Tell me more…I want to remember."

"I was a mouthy thirteen year old living on Typhon and I was pissed off at everything; my own mother didn't want to raise me, I wasn't force sensitive, Master Zho wouldn't let me have a pet." Corana pouted and rubbed his arm caringly as he continued. "Well on that day, I had been trying all morning to lift a rock using the force. I could not even make it budge. When my frustration reached a breaking point, I stomped out of the house and the first thing I saw was an older women with two little girls…"

A slow smile spread across Corana's face. "Yes." She looked at him as though she was really seeing him for the first time. "It was you. I felt a connection to you when I first saw you, but I did not know why."

He smiled and gave her a chuckle. "You did something to me that day. All you did was touch me and all of my pain went away. I had a sense of purpose. I felt a confidence I had never had before. I knew deep down that I would never be a Jedi, but I knew then what I wanted to be…what I wanted to do with my life. What did you do?"

"I am an Empath. I have the ability to touch someone and know what they are feeling. I can feel their pain, their joy or sorrow. I have no understanding of how it works, or why, but when I sense someone is in pain…I want to take it away." A faraway look shrouded her face and remained there long enough for Theron to notice.

"Hey…" He reached over pulling her in closer to him and placed his hand behind her head while stroking her hair. "…what's going on? Did I bring up any bad memories?"

She smiled softly as she caressed his face, and then placed her hand over his with a reflective look in her eye. "I just don't have a lot of memories of my life before being taken to the order. Sometimes I have dreams that I assume are glimpses of my life, but I don't remember much of anything."

Theron pressed his lips together offering her a thoughtful half-smile. "Well, I I'm not an empath, and I don't have any special powers, but I'm here. Maybe not always in person; we both have responsibilities that take us to the far reaches of the galaxy, sometimes underground and inside of some shitty places. But, as of now, you are the person who takes priority above all others and I am only a halo call away and my HyperTerminal is always ready when you say the word."

Corana smiled softly as she rested her head against his chest. "As I Jedi, I have made it a practice not to make human connections…or at least I try not to, except for maybe my crew and even some of them I prefer to keep my distance. I talk to other Jedi…having Kira in my crew helps because we can talk things over. But I admit I have missed being truly connected with someone. And having you here with me…I feel like I can finally open my soul to."

Theron smiled softly and pulled her into him then gently kissed her forehead. "As a Jedi? Or as a woman?"

"Both." She replied while planting soft kisses against his chest

"Is that what you did to me back there?" He pulled back so he was looking at her eyes.

"That glowey thing was you opening up your soul to me?"

"I don't really know what that was." She smiled but looked as perplexed as Theron.. Although he was making an attempt to tease her while figuring out what had happened when the glow flowed between them, he observed her face had become solemn. Just then, she reached behind his head stroking his dark hair, her grayish eyes hinted just enough blue that reminded him of the ocean during a storm. "I have very deep feelings for you…maybe deeper than I should. I don't know when we will see each other again…and I don't know how to explain it…it just happened. It was like the force was connecting us together in some way."

Theron grinned impishly. "I would say we connected tonight in every way possible." He gave a light smirk and raised an eyebrow playfully. "I will be thinking about you and tonight for the rest of my life." He moved in kissing her lips then sighed as he looked at her. "Maybe we aren't in a place where we can make any decisions about our future and we have decided to forgo the labels for now…but I need you to know that I care for you…so much more than I ever thought I could. I'll tell you right now that I suck at this whole relationship thing. I may not call you every night or even every week. I may not send you flowers on Life Day and because of my job, there may be things I can't share with you. I'm a spy and this is all I know." He took ahold of her hand and held it against him stroking it with his thumb. "But as far as I am concerned…you're it."

Corana's eyes lit up hearing this as she scoot in closer to him. "So…I guess I'll be closing my door to all suitors going forward?"

"That or I'll be coming after them with both blasters blazing." He grinned wryly as his lips found hers again in the darkness.

Corana smiled and pushed him backward so he was laying with his back against the mattress then top of him. "You won't need those blasters." She returned his kiss smiling as she pulled the covers over them. "Do we have time for another round?"

"The boss said we can have all night." His kiss grew hungrier as he covered her mouth greedily.

"The Boss?" She stopped for a moment and stared at him at him inquisitively. "You mean Satele?"

Theron sighed and rolled his head backward. "UGH! Don't bring my mom into this!" He shuddered. "No guy wants to think about his mom when he is in bed with a beautiful woman!"

"Did I kill the moment?" She giggled at his reaction.

He looked at her face and shook his head. "I think I can get past it." He grabbed her wrists with both hands and pinned her to the mattress. "Even Darth Marr walking in here in a slave dancer outfit right now would not get my attention."

Corana winced and furrowed her brow. "Just stop talking." She pulls him to her lips and moans softly as they began to make love.


	3. Chapter 3

**Echoes From The Darkness**  
 _ **Chapter 3**_

10 Days Ago

Carrick Station

As Corana and her crew walked slowly back to her ship on Carrick Station, emotions were varied, but the day had been a trying one. They had witnessed the Emperor drain the life from Zoist until nothing was left by ash. Although two of them practiced the control of their emotions, how can you control the complete loss of life that ripples the force that way?

"Well I've seen that son of a bitch do some crazy shit," Kira folds her arms and emits a dismal sigh. " but I didn't see that one coming."

"The childish naiveties of your views is wretched!" Lord Scourge grumbles at her as he bares his teeth and flips the bottom of his robes out of his path with a dramatic flourish. "The emperor is a deity, yet you look upon him as a common criminal. Until you abandon your narrowed margin, you will never learn!"

Kira had grown immune to Scourge's tantrums once she was certain he did not deem her blood worthy of ramming her with his lightsaber. However, her nerves are fried today.

"Why does everything have to be a theatrical production with you?"

Scourge turned to her with a prepared snarl, but before any words came out of his mouth, Doc placed his hands on his shoulders chuckling uncomfortably.

"Hey, as I always like to say, go big or not at all." Doc looks at Scourge, and could tell Scourge was not amused by the joke. Scourge just grumbles something under his breath and stomps off.

"I didn't need you to rescue me, I can handle Grandpa Sith on my own." Kira glowers at him while crossing her arms. "Please stop treating Rana and I like we are damsels in distress."

Doc frowns and lowers his head.

"I apologize if I overstepped my bounds. I was raised to be a gentleman and assist a lady in trouble. I thought I was doing just that."

"I also thought a gentleman is supposed to take care of HIS lady and not be chasing after other girls." She folds her arms glowering hard at him. "That is why she dumped your sorry ass for the sexy SIS man."

"Well…ah…I…ah…" He looked flustered at first than found his footing. "Ok well where has this sexy SIS man been lately? I don't remember seeing him since Yavin 4 nearly a year ago!"

"Eight months!" She quips while holding up eight fingers. "And they are both busy people! It happens."

"You know what I think?" Doc bit back. "I think he got what he wanted and he dumped her. That's what I think…."

Both looked up as they saw Corana standing on the ship's loading ramp crossing her arms indignantly.

"I'm sure you two both have better use of your time than standing around discussing my relationship with Agent Shan."

"Hey girl…I'm so sorry…" Kira started but was quickly cut off.

"My personal life is none of your business! Do I make myself clear?" They both nod, but each noted to themselves that Corana was unusually irate. "Good. Let's get this ship in the air. I want to be away from this planet."

Kira gulps and nods before walking inside while Doc stayed behind.

"Listen gorgeous, I'm really sorry about that. I know we called things off, but I'm still your friend and I still care about you. When I see you hurt, I hurt. Tell me what the Doc can do to make you feel better?"

This made Corana smile. No matter how things went with Doc, they parted friends and he was one of her better ones.

"I'm that transparent?"

Doc nods.

"I'm afraid so, darlin. How can I help? If your man ain't treating you right, I'll pop him where it hurts!"

She smiles while shaking her head.

"Well you are partially right, it is about Theron. But it is not that he isn't treating me right, I guess I just worry about him sometimes. He gets way in over his head and doesn't ask for help. I just wish he would stop shutting out the world."

"And by the world, you also mean you…" He tilts his head while folding his arms and cocking his eyebrow.

Corana nods and sighs.

"Yes. And we do not have a conventional relationship since we both are busy traveling around the galaxy taking care of our own responsibilities in our different roles. We both knew that would be the case going into this; but after all that went down for him tonight, I wanted to be there for him, let him talk it out…or whatever else he needs…"

A wry grin spread across Doc's face.

"And by whatever else, you mean sex, ain't that right?"

Corana blushes, then smiles.

"Well yes, there was a part of me…ok all of me. But not just for me…"

Doc held up a hand and chuckles.

"Sweetness, I knew what you exactly what you meant; I do not think anybody would find fault with you for thinking that way. The one you love is hurting and you want to give him your love. Did he reject you?"

She shook her head.

"He asked for a raincheck. Is that what men always do?"

Doc nods.

"Well, not all of us, but those of us with a lot of pride I can almost bet on it. See, we want to be strong and we want to be strong for our women. So by him telling you that he wants to take a raincheck does not mean that he doesn't want to be with you or to be around you, he is saying he doesn't want to bring you into his problems and bring you down."

Corana nods appearing to understand and feel better with Doc's counsel.

"Ok, I suppose that makes sense. Theron does have a lot of pride." She looks at him and smiles. "Hey…you have turned out to be a pretty good friend. Thank you for cheering me up today."

"I'm here for you any time, darling." He smiles while offering a hug, which Corana gratefully accepted.

"And that goes for me too." She replies giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And it sounds like we are about to take off, so let's see what the galaxy has in store for us next."

Unknown to Corana and Doc, the last few moments of their conversation was observed by Theron who completely misunderstood the exchange. He briefly stood with his hands on his hips while dropping his head dejectedly before turning around and stomping back to his ship.

* * *

 _ **Theron Shan's Apartment Later that Night**_  
 _ **Coruscant**_

Theron laid in his bed that night unable to sleep. He tossed and turned looking for a comfortable position but his attempts were futile.

"Screw it."

He finally threw back the covers and stood up from his bed before walking to his living room. Before he could reach the light switch, he stubbed his toe on a heavy object in the middle of the room that was not there before he left last time. He turned the light on which brought into focus three large crates next to his couch.

"What the hell…" Before he finished he saw a note on the cargo which made him snicker caustically. "Tef'ith, why are you leaving your shit in my place?"

He grumbles then heads for the kitchen bar to pour himself a drink.

"Damnit!" He shouts seeing that he had not replenished his liquor stock.

A knock at the door kept him from smashing the empty bottle against the wall. He sighs irritably and set the bottle on the counter before stomping to the door and jerking it open.

The sight of Jax Moorlord holding up a bottle of whisky made him chuckle then open the door wide.

"Get in here." He gestures by motioning him forward.

"I was just in the neighborhood and thought my best buddy could use a drink." Jax saunters inside and quickly handed Theron the bottle.

"You live in the neighborhood, asshole." Theron glowers in a joking manner as he took the bottle to the kitchen and poured two shot glasses with the amber liquor keeping one for himself and handing the other to Jax before flopping down in a chair and slouching against the back. "Cheers." He held up his glass and gulps down the whisky.

"Cheers." He held up his glass in return then quickly downs his shot. "So Risha told me all about the clusterfuck on Ziost today. Figured you could use a good stiff drink and a friend." He moves to the kitchen and grabs the bottle, then set it on the table between them. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing going in there."

Theron pours himself another shot and gave off an embittered laugh.

"So getting all those people killed as a good move?"

"You had no way of knowing what was going to happen." He shook his head while sliding into the chair across from Theron. "And if Suresh would remove her head from where the sun don't shine, she would have listened to you and gotten the planet evacuated instead of arrogantly patting herself on the back for evacuating as many as she could, today would not have happened."

"That and I'm on indefinite suspension." Theron smirks and held up his shot glass. "So my professional life and my love life have all gone to shit in the matter of a day." He quickly empties his glass then pours another.

Jax started to take a drink then paused.

"Your love life? Did something happen between you and the sexy Jedi?"

"Don't call her that!" Theron scowls hard at Jax. "She is not the galaxy trash you used to take home before you found yourself a queen."

"And your ex…" Jax corrects him seeming almost bitter.

"It was one time and long before she ever met you, so get the hell over it!" Theron protests. "Besides, it's my fault...we had this amazing night together 6 months ago and as usual I get busy saving the galaxy…I don't write…I don't holo and she takes up with somebody else. Story of my life."

Jax twists his nose inquiringly.

"When we talked about her last time, it sounded like you had found the future Mrs. Shan and you two were crazy about each other. And if she is a Jedi, isn't she running all over the place saving the galaxy like you are?"

Theron shrugs then nods.

"I thought so too…but tonight we were working together to get that mess under control, we had a 'good to see you' moment. But then after all the shit went down, we ended up back in the Carrick Station war room. She asked me out for a drink and like an idiot, I asked her for a raincheck."

Jax placed his palm over his face and shook his head.

"Dude!"

"Yeah, I know! I know!" Theron sighs. "But after I walked away and left her standing there, I came to my senses 5 minutes later and ran all over the station looking for her. When I finally caught up with her she's in the arms of her ex-lover."

Jax cocks his head while furrowing his brow.

"And…?"

Theron stares at him as if he was the village idiot.

"Do I really have to decode that for you?" Theron asks him crossly.

Jax stood up and strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"Consider this scenario. She hasn't seen you in months, and the Jedi don't keep her so business that she has amnesia, dude. She is happy to see you, so after things settle down, she goes to find you; maybe because she misses you and wants to offer you a freighter load of sex. Or maybe she wants to comfort you after the rough day you had by starting off with a drink, and seeing where the night goes. Either way, you ask for a raincheck and she probably understands, but maybe she feels sad because she wanted to be there for you…and she turns to ex-lover for support and the moment ends with a hug…"

Theron closes his eyes and exhales loudly as he places his palms over his face and leans forward.

"Shit! I am such an asshole!" He looks up again at his friend. "Unless…I was right on my first guess?"

Jax shook his head.

"You are useless to me this way. The only way you're going to know for sure is to call her." He saunters toward the door but turns to look at him before exiting. "Call her…now!"

Theron grins and offers a salute.

"What makes you such an expert on women?"

"I'm the oldest of 4 siblings and the only guy." He smirks. "I'm a galaxy renowned expert."

With that, he walks through the door and closes it behind him.

Theron laughs and shook his head as Jax walks through the door. He had known the smuggler for the better part of a decade; the earlier part of the decade was spent checking up on his activities, but was never able to pin any illegal activities on him. The friendship began as most of them do; a drunken night in Nar Shaddaa that ended the next morning when they awoke in the back alley surrounded by sleeping Wookies.

Jax was the ladies man and usually ended up disappearing for hours leaving Theron on his own. The only time Theron had ever punched him was when he referred to his mother, Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan as a MILF. Theron may have a strange relationship compared to other mother-son dynamics, but that statement was incredibly awkward.

After Jax left, Theron found himself staring at his holo device sitting on a nearby table. He grabs the device and walks back to his bedroom to get comfortable. He quickly removes his clothes then took a moment to look in the mirror. His implants were severely bruised and his hair had become ruffled as was normal at the end of the day.

"Why am I acting like a girl?" Theron had never put a lot of thought into how he looked; He was a guy, and looking good came with the role of being a spy, but other than showers and grooming, he was not one to waste a lot time on himself.

But for reasons he did not understand, he felt like he wanted to achieve a certain look before calling her. If he were to comb his hair or shave it would be too noticeable, so instead he splashed his face with water then finger combed his hair before climbing back into his bed. Once he had achieved a comfortable position, he pulled up the covers so everything above his waist was showing.

"JUST CALL YOU IDIOT!" He shouted at himself before picking up his Holo then punched in her frequency.

Corana picked up immediately as her image generated before him. It was difficult to tell if she was annoyed at the late call or if early hour of grogginess was why her expression was curdled.

"Theron?" Her voice came across more concerned which was a valid response considering this would be the first time he had ever called her since the call for help when he was stuck on Zoist. "Is everything ok?"

Theron smiled; partially relieved that she was not angered considering the hour he was calling as well as being amused that she automatically defaulted his call to an emergency.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I just missed you and wanted to see you?"

This made her immediately smile.

"I suppose I shouldn't reprimand you for having your chance earlier and taking a rain check?"

Theron chuckles nervously.

"Yeah, I deserve that…which is one of the reasons I was calling. I'm sorry I blew you off like that. I realized I hated myself the moment I got to my ship and went looking for you." He felt it best to leave out witnessing her embracing Doc since she looked as if she was happy to hear from him and…well…she was alone in her bed. "I know you were trying to be a friend and I wanted to apologize for being abrupt."

Corana smiles furtively and bit her lower lip as she sat up in her bed pulling the covers up around her careful not to show too much, but it left Theron wanting to see more. "I thought we had passed the friend zone after what we did on Yavin 4."

"I was hoping we had." He grins and laid on his side placing the holo beside him on the bed. "But since we really had not had the opportunity to get together since, I wasn't sure what your reaction would be."

As he spoke to her, Theron zooms her image larger and places his holo to where her image was beside him on his bed.

"You know, you have me wishing I was there with you." Her voice came out like a low purring.

"Then it's working." He grins wide. "Do me a favor…lay on your side and face me." She did as he asked as he adjusted himself so he was laying on his side with his forehead against hers. "Perfect." He smiled and stared at her tenderly.

"What is?" She asked not real sure what he was doing by making the adjustments to his device.

"Place your holo just below your pillow and increase your zoom until you have me where you want me."

"Well if I had you where I want you, you would be here." She giggles as she adjusts her holo until he was right there in front of her as if they were laying together gazing into each other's eyes. "Oh…hello." She smiles pleasantly surprised. Even though she could not touch him or kiss him, she could still feel him close to her. "I still wish you were really here, but this works for now."

"Well…that's part of the reason I'm calling." He reaches his hand over as though he were stroking her face. "Since I have some indefinite time off, I wondered if you were free to take a little time away from saving the galaxy to take a little vacation with me?"

Corana smiles wide until she was nearly beaming.

"I think I can arrange to get away. Where did you have in mind?"

"Well…" He stretches himself out then moves back into position. "…I was thinking of taking you back with me to some of my favorite places in the galaxy…places I love, but never really got to stop and look around. We could do some hiking in the mountains, or get all gussied up and hang out in the cities…" He displays an impish smile. "Or…we could just stay on my ship and go nowhere at all."

"I would be happy with any of those things…perhaps all three…" She raises an enigmatic eyebrow. "But I like the third option the best."

"We…don't really have to stay on the ship to get naked and do freaky things to each other." His voice was low and guttural, sounding more relaxed. "We can still explore the core worlds with plenty of time for pleasure."

"Let me guess…as the suave spy, you have some special places you have taken all of your girls to?"

This made Theron chuckle loudly.

" _All_ of my girls? Do you think I'm some kind of player?"

"Well, I don't see you as the type, but I also know I'm probably not your first."

He propped himself up on an elbow smiling at her image playfully.

"So you want to know how many women I have taken to my favorite places, huh?"

"Well no." She laughs nervously hoping she did not sound like she was angling for information on his former lovers. "Whatever happened before we met isn't any of my business….even after we met really isn't since we never really made any commitments…"

Theron laughs to himself, amused by her attempt to cover up her eagerness.

"None." He spoke over her.

"Um…pardon?" She riposted somewhat confused.

"I have never been in a relationship that has lasted longer than a few weeks." He replies.

"Oh…" She blinks and smiles which made Theron laugh out loud.

"You are a refreshing change from every woman who has ever attempted to be part of my life." He was back to laying on his pillow facing her image. "I know you are not trying to pry out of me how many women have been in my life or where you stand, but the way you keep assuring me that you are not prying is so damn cute."

"Well, thank you…I...ah...think." She smiles. "Not that I ever thought you were any kind of playboy. But I kind of like the fact that you think I'm cute."

"Let's not forget enchantingly beautiful and sexy as hell." His voice took on an animalistic undertone. "Talking to you has gotten me relaxed…but if you were here with me…we would be doing everything but relaxing."

"Well, then I recommend we get some sleep, because I think we are going to need it." She stretches out sleepily making Theron's yearning greater.

"And seeing you move around like that under the covers is giving my very wrong ideas, so I think getting some sleep is a very good idea." He sighs. "So when can I pick you up to set off on this adventure of ours?"

Corana thought briefly.

"Well, tomorrow I am heading to coordinate with Darth Marr. He says he has a line on the emperor out in wild space, so has requested my assistance…"

Theron bolted up.

"Whoa! Hold up! I swear you just said you are meeting up with Marr somewhere in the middle of wild space because he needs your help." he pauses to compose himself. " But I know you wouldn't be crazy enough to travel out there alone to meet up with a member of the dark council…"

Corana laughs.

"Theron, I will have fellow Jedi, a military strategist and a former Emperor's Wrath traveling with me. I think I will be plenty safe."

Theron sat silently for a moment.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Let me come with you just for extra back up."

Corana laughs.

"Theron, I want to take you with me, but I really can't." she spoke trying to think of a good acceptable reason without hurting his feelings. "How would I explain to Master Satele or Chancellor Saresh about bringing a suspended SIS agent aboard my ship on a sanctioned mission? We would both be in a lot of trouble."

Theron heaves a weighted sigh.

"I suppose you're right…but I really don't like it. I want you to make sure you take somebody with you and you holo me the moment you get off that ship!"

Initially, Corana was taken aback by Theron's protectiveness; as a Jedi Knight she did not usually need protection yet she found his wanting to shield her adorable.

"Theron…remember that I took out the Emperor before he showed up on Yavin 4. I like the fact that you are worried about me, but we both know that Darth Marr has been fair and willing to work with us to find the Emperor. I don't completely trust him, but we have a common enemy and he knows as well as I do that we have to put aside our differences to find him."

"Ok…ok…you're right." Theron's response was apologetic. "I don't know what I was thinking that I could do anything to protect you…you would be the one pulling my ass out of trouble."

Corana giggles.

"Well does it help that I think it is incredibly cute that you are worried about me?"

Theron emits a short, hard laugh.

"You are the first person in my entire life that has ever referred to me as cute. Had it been anybody else, they would been looking into the deadly end of my blaster."

"Well I'm happy to be the first." She reaches her finger up to trace the image of his lips. "So how about if I meet you at Carrick Station one week from today?"

"Well having you here with me like this isn't enough, but I think I can hold out a week." He grins as he reaches out running his fingers alongside her image's cheek. "We'll meet in the cantina where this all began."

"That seems like a lifetime ago." She replies with soft reflectiveness. "My crew will be ecstatic to have the time off. And I the thought of seeing you again is making me very giddy."

"Well I'm feeling a little giddy myself." He smiles then quickly narrowed his eyes. "And don't you DARE tell anybody I said that. Not Ever!"

Corana laughs softly.

"I will take your secret with me to my grave."

"So what do you say that get through this week and I'll see you on Carrick one week from today." Theron smiles reassuringly into the holo.

"I will be thinking of little else until then." She smiles as she held up her palm which Theron reciprocated. "Goodbye Theron."

"Goodnight Rana." He replies softly as he turned off his comm.

Once he had ended the call, Theron laid on his back for quite some time. For that moment he felt the galaxy had been removed from his shoulders.

"Maybe this is the galaxy's way of telling me I need to take some time off." He thought to himself as the anxiety started to melt away. Moments later, Theron fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

* * *

 _ **Jedi Temple – Tython**_  
 _ **10 Days Later**_

Satele Shan and Gnost-Dural stood in front of the large holo terminal as Marcus Trant and Jonal Balker briefed them about the disappearance of Darth Marr and Master Corana Chadenh.

"We are doing everything we can to locate Master Chadenh, but I have to be honest with you; the flagship was destroyed in Zakuul space and and the citizens government is very hostile. Our intel says their Emperor was murdered by an "Outlander" who they have imprisoned and the Emperor's son has seized the throne in the wake of his father's death. Due to the timing of Marr's flagship's destruction in sync with the events on Zakuul, we can only assume this was not a coincidence."

Satele was internally shaken by this news. It was not so much that she was focusing on her own emotions; while she cared deeply for the young master, it was the love she sensed from her son for Corana that weighed heavily on her.

"Has your team been able to enter the Zakuul portion of space to verify if any identifying wreckage or debris have been located?"

"Negative." Balker quips. "We sent in two agents to investigate and we have not heard from them since their last transmission 57 hours ago."

"While I can't go into details with you at this time, we are currently in discussion with Jace Malcom and General Garza to put together a mission involving the Republic Army and Havoc Squad. We will keep you in the loop as much as we are able." Marcus's eyes narrows as his expression grew grim. "I am sure you understand that we are short on staff at the moment with my best agent sidelined."

Satele did not change her expression, but bristles internally. She did not agree with Chancellor Saresh's decision to suspend Theron from active duty with the SIS, yet knowing her son inherited his father's temper, in addition to his penchant for clashing with authority, would have caused him further trouble, she was relieved when Saresh allowed her the opportunity to deliver the news to Theron herself.

"Agent Shan did not use proper the proper channels and took a team of Jedi on an unauthorized mission to Ziost resulting in their deaths."

"C'mon Satele, you know that is a load of shit!" Balker hollers. "Theron has unusually incredible instincts which is why he is the best. He was RIGHT about this and you know it!"

Marcus loudly clears his throat.

"Agent Balker! You are speaking to the Grand Master of the Jedi order, one of our greatest Republic allies. Please do not shout or use that language."

Balker took a deep breath feeling as if his father had just reprimanded him.

"Of course. Please accept my sincere apologies, Master Satele. I hope you can understand that I was not directing my anger at you or the Jedi Counsel. I am frustrated and things are just very tense…"

Satele shook her head and waves him off.

"There is no reason to apologize, Agent Balker. If the Jedi Order didn't frown upon swearing, I would be doing so right along with you." She gave a wry smile, which made Jonas laugh on the inside; it was clear she had an indirect sense of humor, and, being a long time leader of the Jedi Order knew how to handle herself.

"I'm afraid I must call this short." Marcus interjects abruptly. "We will be in touch as soon as we have any news that we are able to share."

"We understand the need for confidentiality, and will not ask for anything further, but please update us if you find Master Chadenh, or any information on her whereabouts." Gnost-Dural replies.

"Thank you gentlemen for your time." Satele presses her palms together in front of her. "May the force be with us."

A short time later, Satele sat in her office meditating as the door burst open. Startled, she looked up to find her son standing in the doorway. She almost did not recognize him at first; he was wearing civilian clothing that consisted of a black shirt covered by a brown Jacket with pants of the same color and black boots. He looked as though he had not shaved in days, his wavy dark hair that was usually neatly combed was a mess.

"Theron?" She stood up from her meditation looking worried. She had been expecting him to contact her, but she was not ready to see him like this. "How may I…?"

"Where is Rana?" He did not wait for her to finish her sentence; he knew she would have a pre-packaged an order approved question and response, but he was in no mood for any Jedi bullshit.

"Theron, you cannot be here. You have been suspended from duty…"

"I know for a fact that General Garza's son is allowed to visit her at the senate tower and I know this because he also visits his father who is my boss Marcus Trant. I am not here as _your agent_ …" He placed a bitter emphasis on the words. "…I am here asking as your son."

"Theron…" Satele braces herself for what she knew would be an uncomfortable conversation. She understood his anger and knew that he was in pain. She also knew that he was right; she never regretted her decision to allow him to be raised by Master Zho, but she also understood his feeling that she owed him a debt that could never be paid to him. "I really want to help you, but I am not in any position to do so as the Grand Master or your mother."

Theron watches her in disbelief as she sat down at her desk and gestures for him to take a seat.

"What do you say we skip the formalities and get real for a moment, shall we?"

Although his tone had calmed since he came through the door, his manner of speaking made even Satele's steel resolve recoil; there were rare circumstances when she could clearly determine his father's personality in him. Leaning forward in her desk, she returned his harsh stare.

"I am willing to speak with you with what is common knowledge. All that is known is that Master Chedneh is missing in action. Beyond that, I cannot divulge any further information; I am sure you understand my position."

Theron lowers his head. Satele could see that he was frustrated and was trying his hardest not to lash out at her. He was quiet for several moments before he finally spoke in slow and quiet.

"We were going to take some time to spend together. She was going to meet me on Carrick to take a trip around the galaxy. I stood there waiting for hours without a word. I tried her holo frequency; I tried contacting her ship. I stayed there on my ship the entire day waiting for anything…she was late due to traffic, she was called away on a secret mission. Not only has she gone missing without a trace, her crew is also MIA." He pauses briefly and gulped audibly; Satele could tell he was barely holding it together. "I have to know where she is...please"

Satele presses her lips together and shook her head sorrowfully. She could see how deep his pain ran and it broke her heart that she could not help him.

"I am so sorry Theron, but I really cannot tell you any information."

Theron was now enraged as he stood up. Rather he had intended to knock his chair over or if it was an accident, she could not determine.

"You know damned well that I can find what I need with or without your help. I am asking you as a courtesy before I do my own digging." He leans over her desk. "You gave me up to be raised by Master Zho and as an adult I can understand, but I have found it extraordinarily funny that what you felt was best for me was just more convenient for you! I do not hate you and I do not have any animosity toward you. But I have never asked you for a goddamned thing…I am asking you for the smallest clue…and you owe me that much!"

He notices as he was speaking to her that Satele had folded a piece of paper and pushed it across the desk in his direction. Before she released her hand from it she looks directly into his eyes without so much as a blink.

"Agent Shan, you are suspended from your duties and I cannot tell you anything about Master Chadenh's current status. Now please leave my office or I will have no choice but to have you forcibly removed."

Theron blinks, taken aback by her uncharacteristic behavior, until she shifted her eyes downward to the piece of paper under her hand and back up at him. With a grateful nod, Theron took the folded note.

"Don't worry! I'll see myself out." He follows with a sneer for added emphasis in case anyone was listening. "I know the way!"

Once again he offers an appreciative gesture before exiting.

* * *

 _ **Theron's Apartment**_  
 _ **Coruscant**_

Later that evening, Theron paces around his apartment staring at the note Satele had given him. Satele's neatly scrolled penmanship had only provided a single word:

Zakuul.

Theron's role within the Republic SIS had only taken him to the core worlds of the galaxy, but the word Zakuul had been on his radar twice now in the last 48 hours, this being the second. He had come across chatter about an uprising after the Zakuulian Emperor was murdered by an Outlander. This prompted him to sit down at his keyboard and start wildly tapping.

He came across numerous news articles, but the intel was limited and nothing he did not already know. He pounded his fist against his desk and shoved his keyboard forward.

"Damnit!" He muttered through clenched teeth.

He sat there for several minutes racking his brain. He had exhausted all of his resources and did not know where else to turn.

"Where are you?" He whispered closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing that came into focus was Ngani Zho's lightsaber that he kept on a small table close to a window. It glowed brighter than normal as if it was reaching out to him. He picked up the saber staring intently.

"Are you trying to tell me something, old man?"

Theron all of the sudden felt unusually sleepy to the point where his hand began to twitch involuntarily.

"The hell…did somebody drug me?" Feeling his eyes begin to close and gravity pulling him to the floor, he made his way to his bed and quickly laid down. Before his head hit the pillow, he was sound asleep.

"What is the first lesson I ever taught you, my boy? I taught you to always trust in the force."

Theron opens his eyes and rubs them.

"Master Zho?" He turns around to see him sitting in a chair next to his bed. "Did you have somebody spike my whisky?"

"The way you have been drinking that stuff lately nobody needs to spike it for you." Zho glowers at him the same way he did when he was a child. "Have you forgotten everything I have taught you?"

Theron sat on the edge of his bed and sighed.

"You know damned well I'm not a Jedi."

Zho shook his head.

"I taught you to trust in the Force! The Force is alive and in all things! That includes you, Theron, but you are so angry that you are ignoring the very foundry by which I raised you."

"You…ah…want me to use the force?" Theron stammers.

"NO! I am telling you to pull your head out of your ass and TRUST in the force! I know you aren't a Jedi! I'm not a complete fool! The only fool here is you!"

"That's…not…very Jedi like of you!"

"And you are acting like I never taught you a thing! I taught you what you needed in life to survive…to always be alert to all things around you! You do not need to be a Jedi to trust in the Force!"

"Trust in the Force." Theron whispers to himself.

"Open your eyes!"

Theron gasps then blinked as his eyes snapped wide open. Several hours had passed since he laid his head down. He looked at the chair where Master Zho had just been sitting to find it empty.

"What the hell was that?"

After a moment, he stood up and pulled on his boxers. For the first time since Corana disappeared…perhaps longer…he felt a sense of clarity and purpose. While he still did not know her fate or whereabouts, something inside told him that she was safe.

For the first time in days, Theron went to the refresher to shower off and shave the beard that was starting to drive him crazy. Then standing in front of the mirror, he fixed his hair into his signature faux hawk then took a moment to admire his accomplishment before heading back to the small area most would call a living room. He slumps down in his chair and picked up his holo then typed in a code. He smiled softly as the last time he spoke to her played before him, when she was laying with him. He felt the tears form in his eyes as he saw the glow of love in her eyes when she looked at him. He reached out touching the image of her face caressing it tenderly.

"Wherever you are, I'm going to find you; no matter how long it takes…even if I have to turn over every rock on every planet, I'm coming to get you. Just hang in there for me, sweetheart."

Once her image faded he stared at his halo then picked it back up and dialed in a new frequency.

"Hey…this is Theron. Yeah, I know…I said a lot of things, but right now you are probably the only person that can help me….." 

_**End of Chapter 3**_


End file.
